Welded type striker and draft lug with coupler height adjustment



July 14, 1959 H. H. HICKS 2,894,646

' WELDED TYPE STRIKER AND DRAFT LUG WITH COUPLER HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT Filed March 28, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 EPA i01 m 3 5 I... 11 n f 2----.1L .5 -1? m G r rA/////////////////// n T I I I I I I I w 0 0 H. H. HICKS WELDED TYPE STRIKER AND DRAFT we WITH July 14, 1959 COUPLER HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 28, 1956 ATI'ORN United States Patent WELDED TYPE STRIKER AND DRAFT LUG WITH COUPLER HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT Harold H. Hicks, Evansville, 1nd assignor to international Steel Company, Evansville, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application March 28, 1956, Serial No. 574,454 Claims. (Cl. 213-41) The invention relates to draft members, and more particularly, to a striker used in connection with commonly known draft gear for railway rolling stock, which contains and supports a removable carrier block and coupler height adjuster for quick and easy vertical adjustment of the coupler head, when it is necessary, due to normal wear of coupler shank, carrier iron, and other parts, and said draft member is adapted for attachment at the ends of center sills, for the purpose of receiving draft and bufiing forces.

The principal object of my invention, generally considered, is the provision of a combined striker, with integral coupler height adjustment with the coupler carrier iron, for connection with the outer ends of the center sills forming a sill tie member and coupler stop or striking face, said striker bottom tie piece containing a series of holes or apertures arranged or nested to cooperate with the supporting members of the carrier iron block.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction of underframe and particularly the end portion thereof, wherein an integral member is provided, embracing the mean rends of the center sills incorporating less weight and cross section than conventional construction but possessing substantial rigidity, by substituting an extended portion of the center sill past the draft key slot, said portion of center sill abutting the striker vertical plates and formed to cooperate with the inner vertical surface of the center sill and -extending below the bottom flange of the sill.

Another object of my invention is to provide a formed bottom t-ie bar, which also serves as an anchor for predetermined nesting of holes in a manner suitable for graduated height adjustment where said tie bar is so constructed that the carrier iron or block is securely held in place.

Still another object and advantage of my invention is to provide an arrangement whereby a carrier iron block may be installed While the associated coupler is disposed thereabove.

A still further object and advantage of my invention is to provide a draft gear structure having adequate clearance, after the removal of carrier iron block or before said block is inserted, to facilitate insertion and removal of the associated coupler of the swivel butt A further object and advantage of my invention is to provide a construction of draft device, adapted for application, by use of the arc welding process, where fundamental materials may be used as they are received from the mill and/or after they are formed to proper dimensions, providing elasticity and simplicity by which many operations 'rnay be completed prior to welding thereby adding to the economical value derived from said process.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a draft gear structure having separate front draft lugs, slot liner, Or any combination of the above, which may be applied before the sill halves are joined together thereby making connection of said draft lugs and slot liner more accessible.

Other and further objects of my invention reside in an arrangement of pivotally mounted links operating Within a draft gear striker assembly and adjustable on different selected centers beneath a carrier iron block for elevating or lowering the carrier iron block within the striker assembly as set forth more fully in the specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the welded type striker and draft lug embodying the coupler height adjustment arrangement of my invention shown in connection with the center sill of a railway car;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the striker assembly shown in Fig. l and illustrating particularly the convenient access to the coupler height adjustment means;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 2 and illustrating certain of the parts in elevation broken away and illustrated in section;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view on line 5--5 of Fig. 1, the view showing the carrier iron block adjusted to its lowermost position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating the carrier iron block adjusted to an intermediate position elevating the carrier iron block for providing support for the coupler shank after a period 'of wear;

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Figs. 5 and 6 but illustrating the carrier iron block raised to a position of maximum height for'supporting the coupler shank; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the inverted U cross tie or anchor used in the striker assembly of my invention.

My invention is directed to an improved construction of draft device for railway rolling stock which comprises in combination with a center sill, a striking device, a sill tie member, a coupler height adjuster and a carrier iron or block arranged for the convenient height adjustment of the coupler when the draft device is in use. The structure of my invention is capable of mass production employing conventional foundry facilities at relatively low cost.

Referring to the drawings in detail reference character '14 designates the center sill of a railway car in the end of which the striking bar 1 is welded as represented at la in the transverse recess 1b provided in the upper end of the center sill 14. The striking bar 1 includes a pair of longitudinally extending striking bar gussets 3 which project beneath the top of the center sill and are welded thereto as represented at 3a and to which the vertical plates 2 are welded in a position extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of the center sil-l as represented at 2a. The vertical plates 2 are angular in shape having inturned sides 2b, and extend on opposite sides of the center sill 14 and 'are welded to the striking bar 1 and have their vertical faces co-planar. The shape of these vertical plates 2 will be more clearly understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 2 from which it will be observed that the tops of the plates 2 taper at 20 to the side portions 2b and the side portions are tapered as represented at 'Zd. I

Formed gussets 4 extend rearwardly of the vertical plates 2 in symmetrical positions and are welded to the rear of plates 2as represented at 442 and to the inturned sides 25 "of-the vertical plates 2 as represented at 4b and to the opposite horizontal flanges of the center sill' 14 as represented at 40.

The carrier iron block 5A is positioned transversely between the spaced portions of the vertical plates 2 with the plane of one side thereof susbtantially co-planar with the plane of the vertical plates 2. The carrier iron block 5A is movable vertically between the spaced portions of the vertical plates 2 and for the purpose of providing for this adjustment the under surface of the carrier iron block 5A is provided with upwardly inclined surfaces 5B and 5C extending from a central apex 5D to rounded recesses at opposite ends of the under-surface of the block as shown at 5E and SF. Downwardly extending lips 5G and 5H are provided at opposite ends of the block 5A adjacent the rounded recesses 5E and SF respectively in which the ends of the pivoted connecting links 6A and 63 extend.

The links 6A and 6B are provided at their upper ends with cylindrical-shaped ends 6A and 6B which extend on axes that are disposed longitudinally in spaced parallel relation to the axis of the coupler. The lower ends of links 6A and 6B terminate in tubular sleeves 6A" and 6B through which the pins 7 and 8 are adapted to extend. The pins 7 and 8 are selectively insertable through sets of transverse apertures arranged in the inverted U- shaped tie or anchor 14). The anchor is welded between the inner sides of the vertical plates 2 with the bottom thereof coplanar with the terminating ends of the plates 2. The anchor 10 has the top thereof apertured at 16A and 1613 for the passage and angular movement of the links 6A and 6B. The opposite sides of the anchor it contain sets of aligned apertures 17, 18 and 19 and 2t 21 and 22, as shown more clearly in Fig. 8. These aligned apertures receive the pins '7 and 8 that can he slipped through a selected aperture, the tubular sleeve of the link and the opposite aligned aperture to selectively fix the carrier iron block 5A in any one of the selected positions. The anchor 16 is constituted by an inverted channel which is secured in position between the sides of the striking casting with the apertures 16A and 16B in the top thereof displaced toward opposite ends thereof so that when links 6A and 6B are adjusted in position by pins 7 and 8 being inserted through sleeves 6A" and 6B the effective position of the links beneath the inclined planes of block 5A may be selectively set.

The rounded recesses 5E and SF and downwardly extending lips 5G and 5H at the ends of the block confine the cylindrical-shaped ends 6A and 6B of the pivoted links 6A and 613 against slippage from beneath the block 5A. By centering the tubular sleeves 6A" and 6B" of links 6A and 63 on the pins 7 and 3 inserted into selected aligned apertures 17, 18, 19 or 20, 21, 22, the links 6A and 6B serve to adjust the block 5A upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 6 and then to the position shown in Fig. 7, that is from a minimum elevation to a maximum elevation for variously supporting the block 5A and correspondingly supporting the draft gear device 23 at different elevations on the upper face SI of the block 5A. This upper face 53 constitutes a wearing member which supports the draft gear device 23. The positions of links change from an angular condition shown in Fig. 5, which is approximately 45 with respect to a vertical plan through the axis of the associated pin to a position of an acute angle approaching the vertical plane through the axis of the associated pin as shown in Fig. 6 or to the position shown in Fig. 7 where the links are almost vertical and depart from a vertical plane through the axis of the associated pin by a very small acute angle.

I have found the structure of my invention practical and convenient in its use and while I have described my invention in one of its preferred embodiments I realize that modifications may be made and I desire that it be understood that no limitations upon my invention are intended other than may be imposed by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A striking casting including a draft gear device, a wearing member supporting said draft gear device, an anchor member extending transversely of the striking casting, a pair of groups of transversely aligned apertures in said anchor member with transverse pins extending through selected aligned apertures in said anchor member and wherein there are link members pivotally mounted on said transverse pins and supporting the lower portion of said wearing member for raising and lowering said wearing member uniformly at each end thereof with respect to said draft gear device.

2. A striking casting as set forth in claim 1 in which said wearing member has a lower surface formed in a pair of inclined planes tapering to an apex at the center of the lower surface of said wearing member and formed in transversely disposed downwardly depending end portions and wherein the upper end of said link members slidably engage said inclined planes and are confined within the downwardly depending portions.

3. A striking casting as set forth in claim 1 in which said anchor member is constituted by an inverted channel secured at opposite ends to said draft gear device with the top of said channel apertured for the passage of said link members extending in a position adjacent the depending sides of said channel to a position beneath said wearing member.

4. A striking casting as set forth in claim: 1 in which said anchor member is constituted by an inverted channel with the top thereof apertured adjacent opposite ends thereof and with the ends thereof secured within said draft gear device, said groups of transversely aligned apertures being arranged on the opposite sides of said channel, said pins being selectively extendible through selected aligned transverse apertures in the sides of said channel, and said members projecting upwardly through apertures in the top of said inverted channel to positions beneath the lower portion of said wearing member, said members being displaceable to selectively spaced positions for elevating said wearing member with respect to the draft gear device.

5. A striking casting as set forth in claim 1 in which said wearing member has a lower surface formed by a pair of inclined planes directed toward each other and wherein said anchor member is constituted by an inverted channel with the ends thereof secured to said striking casting, and wherein the top of said inverted channel includes a pair of spaced apertures and the sides of said inverted channel include groups of transversely aligned apertures substantially aligned with the apertures in the top of said channel, said transverse pins being insertable in selected transversely aligned apertures in the sides of said channel, said link members projecting through the apertures in the top of said channel to a position beneath the inclined planes on the lower surface of said wearing member, said link members being selectively positioned on said pins in selected aligned apertures through the sides of said channel for positioning said link members in selected positions to variously elevate said wearing member simultaneously at both ends thereof with respect to the draft gear device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,027,194 Flory May 21, 1912 1,341,455 Barber May 25, 1920 1,993,712 Barrows Mar. 5, 1935 2,271,907 Wilson Feb. 3, 1942 2,504,893 Sisson Apr. 18, 1950 

